Video monitoring and alarm verification technology

ABSTRACT

Video monitoring and alarm verification technology, in which a first connection is established between a first device and a camera located in a monitored property associated with a user of the first device and image data captured by the camera is received over the first connection and at the first device. A determination is made to establish a second connection with a second device that enables sharing of the received image data with the second device and, in response to the determination, the second connection is established between the first device and the second device. The received image data is shared with the second device over the second connection and the second device is restricted from directly accessing image data captured by the camera located in the monitored property.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/598,522, filed Jan. 16, 2015, now allowed, which is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 14/461,749, filed Aug. 18, 2014, now U.S. Pat.No. 8,937,661, issued Jan. 20, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/970,266, filed Aug. 19, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No.8,810,657, issued Aug. 19, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/011,087, filed Jan. 21, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No.8,520,072, issued Aug. 27, 2013, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/897,359, filed Oct. 4, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No.8,675,071, issued Mar. 18, 2014, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/248,247, filed Oct. 2, 2009. All of theseprior applications are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to video monitoring and alarm verificationtechnology.

BACKGROUND

Many people equip homes and businesses with alarm systems to provideincreased security for their homes and businesses. Alarm systems mayinclude control panels that a person may use to control operation of thealarm system and sensors that monitor for security breaches. In responseto an alarm system detecting a security breach, the alarm system maygenerate an audible alert and, if the alarm system is monitored by amonitoring service, the alarm system may send electronic data to themonitoring service to alert the monitoring service of the securitybreach.

SUMMARY

Techniques are described for video monitoring and alarm verificationtechnology.

Implementations of the described techniques may include hardware, amethod or process implemented at least partially in hardware, or acomputer-readable storage medium encoded with executable instructionsthat, when executed by a processor, perform operations.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will beapparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of sharing image data.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example system.

FIGS. 3, 5, and 7 are flow charts illustrating example processes.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of sharing image data.

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate examples of sharing image data with usersidentified based on an attribute associated with the image data.

FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate an example of automatically sharing image data.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques are described for providing video monitoring and alarmverification. For some customers, privacy is a significant issue forhome use of video or still-image security cameras. For that reason,those customers often do not want anyone else (including central stationoperators and police) to have access to images or video captured by homesecurity system cameras without the explicit permission of the systemowner. In some implementations, the techniques described throughout thisdisclosure allow the system owner to share video and other event datawith third parties (e.g., pre-specified third parties) in the event ofan emergency without granting access during non-emergencies, which maybe defined by the system owner.

In some examples, a user that has a system monitoring a property cansubscribe to alerts (e.g., text alerts or other types of notifications)about alarms or other activity of interest when the user is away fromthe user's property. Upon receipt of these alerts on a mobile device(e.g., a smart phone), the user can use a mobile application on themobile device to watch live video (or view recently captured stillimages) from a security camera included in the user's monitoring system.The user can determine whether an alarm event is actually occurring inthe user's property by reviewing the live video (or images). When theuser determines that an alarm event is actually occurring in the user'sproperty, the user can provide an input command (e.g., click a buttonfrom inside the mobile application) to alert an emergency contact list(including sending them a relevant video file or image file) and make aphone call to local police/emergency dispatch. When the user determinesthat an alarm event is not actually occurring in the user's property,the user can provide an input command (e.g., click a button from insidethe mobile application) to control the monitoring system accordingly(e.g., deactivate an alarm being sounded by the monitoring system).

In some implementations, the type of notification sent may be anelectronic mail message or text message with a description of the event,a video/image attachment, and/or a link that the recipient can use tolog into an event portal that provides access to sensor status, livevideo, and/or saved video files relevant to the event. The link also mayopen a portal that displays a shared image of the customer web/mobileportal screen, allowing the customer to control what data/video/image isshared with the recipient. In these implementations, the owner of thealarm system maintains control over the information from the monitoringsystem that is shared.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of sharing image data. As shown, aproperty 105 includes a camera 115 that captures images of the property105 and a security system panel 120 of a security system that monitorsthe property 105 based on outputs of various sensors that sense physicalevents or conditions at the property 105. When a user 110 enters theproperty 105 at a time when the security system is armed, the securitysystem panel 120 detects opening of a door to the property 105 based onoutput from a door sensor and initiates an entry delay period in whichthe user 110 may enter a password at the security system panel 120 todisarm the security system. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the user 110does not enter a proper password at the security system panel 120 beforeexpiration of the entry delay period and the security system panel 120detects an alarm condition. Based on detection of the alarm condition,the security system panel 120 sends alarm data to a monitoring stationdevice 160 of a monitoring station associated with security system ofthe property 105 (e.g., a central monitoring station that dispatchesemergency services based on alarm events detected by security systemsincluding the security system at the property 105).

In addition, the camera 115 establishes a connection with a mobile phone130 used by a mom user and transmits live video of the property 105 tothe mobile phone 130 over the established connection. The mobile phone130 used by the mom user is registered as the primary contact of thecamera 115 (or the security system) and is, therefore, provided with thelive video. Other devices or multiple devices may be registered ascontacts and may receive live video directly from the camera 115, aswell.

The camera 115 may begin capturing video and initiate establishment ofthe connection with the mobile phone 130 based on the security systempanel 120 detecting the alarm condition. For instance, the securitysystem panel 120 may send a signal to the camera 115 in response todetecting the alarm condition and the camera 115 may begin capturingvideo and initiate establishment of the connection with the mobile phone130 in response to receiving the signal. In other examples, the camera115 may begin capturing video and initiate establishment of theconnection with the mobile phone 130 based on the security system panel120 detecting the door opening event when the user 110 entered theproperty 105. The camera 115 also may begin capturing video and initiateestablishment of the connection with the mobile phone 130 based on theuser 110 triggering a motion sensor (e.g., a Passive Infrared Motiondetector) included in the camera 115. The camera 115 further may begincapturing and locally storing video based on the security system panel120 detecting the door opening event or trigger of its own internalmotion sensor and then initiate establishment of the connection with themobile phone 130 based on the security system panel 120 detecting thealarm condition.

The mobile phone 130 includes a video display area 131 that displays thelive video captured by the camera 115 on the mobile phone 130. In thisregard, the mom user may use the mobile phone 130 to view live video ofthe property 105 and assess the alarm condition detected by the securitysystem panel 120. The mobile phone 130 also displays a list of virtualbuttons 132, 133, and 134 that the mom user can activate to initiatesharing of the live video to one or more other devices. The mobile phone130 further displays a start button 135 and a stop button 136 that themom user can activate to control recording of the live video onelectronic storage of the mobile phone 130. In some examples, the mobilephone 130 may store a buffer of a set amount (e.g., one minute) of thelive video data at all times. In these examples, when the start button135 is activated, the set amount of live video data stored in the bufferis added to the front of the recording so that the recording covers upto the set amount (e.g., one minute) of live video data displayed priorto activation of the start button 135.

The list of virtual buttons 132, 133, and 134 includes a first button132 that initiates sharing of the live video received from the camera115 with a mobile phone 140 of a friend user, a second button 133 thatinitiates sharing of the live video received from the camera 115 with afirst responder device 150 used by emergency services personnel thatrespond to alarm conditions, and a third button 134 that initiatessharing of the live video received from the camera 115 with themonitoring station device 160. The mom user may use the virtual buttons132, 133, and 134 to establish a connection and share the live videowith any one or more of the mobile phone 140 of the friend user, thefirst responder device 150, and the monitoring station device 160.

For example, when the mom user is uncertain of what the live video showsand would like assistance in verifying whether the alarm condition is anactual alarm or a false alarm, the mom user may activate the firstbutton 132. In response to activation of the first button 132, themobile phone 130 identifies contact information for the mobile phone 140of the friend user (e.g., accesses contact information from an addressbook stored at the mobile phone 130) and establishes a connection withthe mobile phone 140 of the friend user using the contact information.The mobile phone 130 then shares the live video received from the camera115 with the mobile phone 140 of the friend user over the establishedconnection. Accordingly, the mobile phone 140 of the friend userdisplays the live video concurrently with the mobile phone 130 of themom user, so that the friend user can assist the mom user in assessingthe live video and determining whether an actual alarm exists. Theestablished connection between the mobile phone 130 and the mobile phone140 may be a direct connection between the mobile phone 130 and themobile phone 140 that allows the mobile phone 140 to receive sharedvideo data from the mobile phone 130, but restricts the mobile phone 140from accessing other data of the mobile phone 130 or learning ofidentification information for the camera 115. As such, the establishedconnection between the mobile phone 130 and the mobile phone 140 allowsthe mom user to safely share the live video of the potential alarmcondition with the friend user while preventing the friend user fromaccessing video captured by the camera 115 at other times.

When the mom user believes that the video would be helpful to a firstresponder that is responding to the alarm condition at the property 105,the mom user may activate the second button 133. In response toactivation of the second button 133, the mobile phone 130 identifiescontact information for the first responder device 150 and establishes aconnection with the first responder device 150 using the contactinformation. The mobile phone 130 then shares the live video receivedfrom the camera 115 with the first responder device 150 over theestablished connection. Accordingly, the first responder device 150displays the live video displayed by the mobile phone 130 of the momuser. The established connection between the mobile phone 130 and thefirst responder device 150 may be a direct connection between the mobilephone 130 and the first responder device 150 that allows the firstresponder device 150 to receive shared video data from the mobile phone130, but restricts the first responder device 150 from accessing otherdata of the mobile phone 130 or learning of identification informationfor the camera 115. As such, the established connection between themobile phone 130 and the first responder device 150 allows the mom userto safely share the live video of the alarm condition with a firstresponder while preventing the first responder from accessing videocaptured by the camera 115 at other times.

In some implementations, the mobile phone 130 may store contactinformation for the first responder device 150 based on the address ofthe property 105 and the type of alarm condition. In theseimplementations, the first responder device 150 may be a centralcomputer of an emergency services agency that is able to relay video tomobile devices used by first responders handling the alarm condition.For instance, when the alarm condition is an expected break in at theproperty 105, the mobile phone 130 may access contact information for acentral computer at a police station that services the property 105 andshare the video with the central computer at the police station withdata indicating the address of the property 105. In this instance, thecentral computer at the police station may identify police officersresponding to the alarm condition based on the address of the property105, access contact information for mobile devices used by theidentified police officers, and relay the shared video to the mobiledevices used by the identified police officers. In another example, whenthe alarm condition is a fire at the property 105, the mobile phone 130may access contact information for a central computer at a fire stationthat services the property 105 and share the video with the centralcomputer at the fire station with data indicating the address of theproperty 105. In this example, the central computer at the fir stationmay identify firemen responding to the alarm condition based on theaddress of the property 105, access contact information for mobiledevices used by the identified firemen, and relay the shared video tothe mobile devices used by the identified firemen.

In some examples, the mobile phone 130 receives contact information forthe first responder device 150 from the monitoring station device 160.In these examples, the first responder device 150 may be a mobile deviceused by a first responder assigned to handle the alarm condition at theproperty 105 and the monitoring station device 160 may receive contactinformation of the mobile device used by the first responder whendispatching emergency services. Accordingly, after receiving the contactinformation for the first responder device 150 from the monitoringstation device 160, the mobile phone 130 is able to directly share thevideo of the property 105 with the mobile device used by the firstresponder.

When the mom user believes that the video would be helpful to amonitoring station operator that is determining whether to dispatchemergency services to the property 105 based on the alarm data, the momuser may activate the third button 134. In response to activation of thethird button 134, the mobile phone 130 identifies contact informationfor the monitoring station device 160 (e.g., stored contact informationfor the monitoring station device 160 used by the monitoring stationthat services the property 105) and establishes a connection with themonitoring station device 160 using the contact information. The mobilephone 130 then shares the live video received from the camera 115 withthe monitoring station device 160 over the established connection.Accordingly, the monitoring station device 160 displays the live videodisplayed by the mobile phone 130 of the mom user and, therefore, may beable to more quickly determine whether the alarm data signifies anactual alarm condition or a false alarm. The established connectionbetween the mobile phone 130 and the monitoring station device 160 maybe a direct connection between the mobile phone 130 and the monitoringstation device 160 that allows the monitoring station device 160 toreceive shared video data from the mobile phone 130, but restricts themonitoring station device 160 from accessing other data of the mobilephone 130 or learning of identification information for the camera 115.As such, the established connection between the mobile phone 130 and themonitoring station device 160 allows the mom user to safely share thelive video of the alarm condition with a monitoring station operatorwhile preventing the monitoring station operator from accessing videocaptured by the camera 115 at other times.

In some implementations, the monitoring station device 160 may be acentral computer of a monitoring station that is able to relay video todevices used by operators employed by the monitoring station. In theseimplementations, the mobile phone 130 may store contact information forthe central computer of the monitoring station and establish aconnection with the central computer of the monitoring station. Afterestablishing the connection, the mobile phone 130 shares the video overthe established connection and also sends linking data to the centralcomputer of the monitoring station that enables the central computer ofthe monitoring station to link the video with the alarm data receivedfrom the security system panel 120. The linking data may be any datathat enables the central computer of the monitoring station to link thevideo with the alarm data. For instance, the linking data may be anaddress of the property 105, an account number for the security systemat the property 105, etc. When the central computer of the monitoringstation receives the linking data, the central computer of themonitoring station identifies which operator is handling the alarm dataand routes the shared video to a device used by the identified operatorso that the appropriate operator receives the video data. In thisregard, the operator processing the alarm data may be able to morequickly determine whether the alarm condition is an actual alarm or afalse alarm.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an electronic system 200 configured toprovide video monitoring and alarm verification. The electronic system200 includes a network 205, a monitoring system control unit 210, one ormore user devices 240, 250, a monitoring application server 260, and oneor more third party devices 270, 280. In some examples, the network 205facilitates communications between the monitoring system control unit210, the one or more user devices 240, 250, and the monitoringapplication server 260. The one or more third party devices 270, 280also may be connected to the network 205 and exchange communicationswith other devices connected to the network 205.

The network 205 is configured to enable exchange of electroniccommunications between devices connected to the network 205. Forexample, the network 205 may be configured to enable exchange ofelectronic communications between the monitoring system control unit210, the one or more user devices 240, 250, and the monitoringapplication server 260. The network 205 may include, for example, one ormore of the Internet, Wide Area Networks (WANs), Local Area Networks(LANs), analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks (e.g., apublic switched telephone network (PSTN), Integrated Services DigitalNetwork (ISDN), a cellular network, and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)),radio, television, cable, satellite, or any other delivery or tunnelingmechanism for carrying data. Network 205 may include multiple networksor subnetworks, each of which may include, for example, a wired orwireless data pathway. The network 205 may include a circuit-switchednetwork, a packet-switched data network, or any other network able tocarry electronic communications (e.g., data or voice communications).For example, the network 205 may include networks based on the Internetprotocol (IP), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), the PSTN,packet-switched networks based on IP, X.25, or Frame Relay, or othercomparable technologies and may support voice using, for example, VoIP,or other comparable protocols used for voice communications. The network205 may include one or more networks that include wireless data channelsand wireless voice channels. The network 205 may be a wireless network,a broadband network, or a combination of networks including a wirelessnetwork and a broadband network.

The monitoring system control unit 210 includes a controller 212 and anetwork module 214. The controller 212 is configured to control amonitoring system (e.g., a home alarm or security system) that includesthe monitoring system control unit 210. In some examples, the controller212 may include a processor or other control circuitry configured toexecute instructions of a program that controls operation of an alarmsystem. In these examples, the controller 212 may be configured toreceive input from sensors, detectors, or other devices included in thealarm system and control operations of devices included in the alarmsystem or other household devices (e.g., a thermostat, an appliance,lights, etc.). For example, the controller 212 may be configured tocontrol operation of the network module 214 included in the monitoringsystem control unit 210.

The network module 214 is a communication device configured to exchangecommunications over the network 205. The network module 214 may be awireless communication module configured to exchange wirelesscommunications over the network 205. For example, the network module 214may be a wireless communication device configured to exchangecommunications over a wireless data channel and a wireless voicechannel. In this example, the network module 214 may transmit alarm dataover a wireless data channel and establish a two-way voice communicationsession over a wireless voice channel. The wireless communication devicemay include one or more of a GSM module, a radio modem, cellulartransmission module, or any type of module configured to exchangecommunications in one of the following formats: GSM or GPRS, CDMA, EDGEor EGPRS, EV-DO or EVDO, UMTS, LTE, or IP.

The network module 214 also may be a wired communication moduleconfigured to exchange communications over the network 205 using a wiredconnection. For instance, the network module 214 may be a modem, anetwork interface card, or another type of network interface device. Thenetwork module 214 may be an Ethernet network card configured to enablethe monitoring system control unit 210 to communicate over a local areanetwork and/or the Internet. The network module 214 also may be avoiceband modem configured to enable the alarm panel to communicate overthe telephone lines of Plain Old Telephone Systems (POTS).

The monitoring system that includes the monitoring system control unit210 includes one or more sensors or detectors. For example, themonitoring system may include multiple sensors 220. The sensors 220 mayinclude a contact sensor, a motion sensor, a glass break sensor, or anyother type of sensor included in an alarm system or security system. Thesensors 220 also may include an environmental sensor, such as atemperature sensor, a water sensor, a rain sensor, a wind sensor, alight sensor, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, an airquality sensor, etc. The sensors 220 further may include a healthmonitoring sensor, such as a prescription bottle sensor that monitorstaking of prescriptions, a blood pressure sensor, a blood sugar sensor,a bed mat configured to sense presence of liquid (e.g., bodily fluids)on the bed mat, etc. In some examples, the sensors 220 may include aradio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor that identifies aparticular article that includes a pre-assigned RFID tag.

The monitoring system control unit 210 communicates with the module 222and the camera 230 to perform visual surveillance or monitoring. Themodule 222 is connected to one or more lighting systems and isconfigured to control operation of the one or more lighting systems. Themodule 222 may control the one or more lighting systems based oncommands received from the monitoring system control unit 210. Forinstance, the module 222 may cause a lighting system to illuminate anarea to provide a better image of the area when captured by a camera230.

The camera 230 may be a video/photographic camera or other type ofoptical sensing device configured to capture images. For instance, thecamera 230 may be configured to capture images of an area within abuilding monitoring by the monitoring system control unit 210. Thecamera 230 may be configured to capture single, static images of thearea and also video images of the area in which multiple images of thearea are captured at a relatively high frequency (e.g., thirty imagesper second). The camera 230 may be controlled based on commands receivedfrom the monitoring system control unit 210.

The camera 230 may be triggered by several different types oftechniques. For instance, a Passive Infra Red (PIR) motion sensor may bebuilt into the camera 230 and used to trigger the camera 230 to captureone or more images when motion is detected. The camera 230 also mayinclude a microwave motion sensor built into the camera and used totrigger the camera 230 to capture one or more images when motion isdetected. The camera 230 may have a “normally open” or “normally closed”digital input that can trigger capture of one or more images whenexternal sensors (e.g., the sensors 220, PIR, door/window, etc.) detectmotion or other events. In some implementations, the camera 230 receivesa software command to capture an image when external devices detectmotion. The camera 230 may receive the software command from thecontroller 212 or directly from one of the sensors 220.

In some examples, the camera 230 triggers integrated or externalilluminators (e.g., Infra Red, Z-wave controlled “white” lights, lightscontrolled by the module 222, etc.) to improve image quality when thescene is dark. An integrated or separate light sensor may be used todetermine if illumination is desired and may result in increased imagequality.

The sensors 220, the module 222, and the camera 230 communicate with thecontroller 212 over communication links 224, 226, and 228. Thecommunication links 224, 226, and 228 may be a wired or wireless datapathway configured to transmit signals from the sensors 220, the module222, and the camera 230 to the controller 212. The sensors 220, themodule 222, and the camera 230 may continuously transmit sensed valuesto the controller 212, periodically transmit sensed values to thecontroller 212, or transmit sensed values to the controller 212 inresponse to a change in a sensed value.

The communication link 228 over which the camera 230 and the controller212 communicate may include a local network. The camera 230 and thecontroller 212 may exchange images and commands over the local network.The local network may include 802.11 “WiFi” wireless Ethernet (e.g.,using low-power WiFi chipsets), Z-Wave, Zigbee, Bluetooth, “Homeplug” orother “Powerline” networks that operate over AC wiring, and a Category 5(CAT5) or Category 6 (CAT6) wired Ethernet network.

The monitoring application server 260 is an electronic device configuredto provide monitoring services by exchanging electronic communicationswith the monitoring system control unit 210 and the one or more userdevices 240, 250 over the network 205. For example, the monitoringapplication server 260 may be configured to monitor events generated bythe monitoring system control unit 210. In this example, the monitoringapplication server 260 may exchange electronic communications with thenetwork module 214 included in the monitoring system control unit 210 toreceive information regarding alarm events detected by the monitoringsystem control unit 210. The monitoring application server 260 also mayreceive information regarding events from the one or more user devices240, 250.

The monitoring application server 260 may store sensor and image/videodata received from the monitoring system and perform analysis of sensorand image/video data received from the monitoring system. Based on theanalysis, the monitoring application server 260 may communicate with andcontrol aspects of the monitoring system control unit 210 or the one ormore user devices 240, 250. The monitoring application server 260 alsomay make images/video captured by the camera 230 available to the one ormore user devices 240, 250 over the network 205 (e.g., through a webportal). In this regard, the one or more user devices 240, 250 maydisplay images/video captured by the camera 230 from a remote location.This enables a user to perceive images/video of the user's property froma remote location and verify whether or not an alarm event is occurringat the user's property.

The one or more user devices 240, 250 are devices that host and displayuser interfaces. For instance, the user device 240 is a mobile devicethat hosts one or more native applications (e.g., the nativesurveillance application 242). The user device 240 may be a cellularphone or a non-cellular locally networked device with a display. Theuser device 240 may include a cell phone, a smart phone, a tablet PC, apersonal digital assistant (“PDA”), or any other portable deviceconfigured to communicate over a network and display information. Forexample, implementations may also include Blackberry-type devices (e.g.,as provided by Research in Motion), electronic organizers, iPhone-typedevices (e.g., as provided by Apple), iPod devices (e.g., as provided byApple) or other portable music players, other communication devices, andhandheld or portable electronic devices for gaming, communications,and/or data organization. The user device 240 may perform functionsunrelated to the monitoring system, such as placing personal telephonecalls, playing music, playing video, displaying pictures, browsing theInternet, maintaining an electronic calendar, etc.

The user device 240 includes a native surveillance application 242. Thenative surveillance application 242 refers to a software/firmwareprogram running on the corresponding mobile device that enables the userinterface and features described throughout. The user device 240 mayload or install the native surveillance application 242 based on datareceived over a network or data received from local media. The nativesurveillance application 242 runs on mobile devices platforms, such asiPhone, iPod touch, Blackberry, Google Android, Windows Mobile, etc. Thenative surveillance application 242 enables the user device 240 toreceive and process image, video, and/or sensor data from the monitoringsystem.

The user device 250 may be a general-purpose computer (e.g., a desktoppersonal computer, a workstation, or a laptop computer) that isconfigured to communicate with the monitoring application server 260and/or the monitoring system control unit 210 over the network 205. Theuser device 250 may be configured to display a surveillance monitoringuser interface 252 that is generated by the user device 250 or generatedby the monitoring application server 260. For example, the user device250 may be configured to display a user interface (e.g., a web page)provided by the monitoring application server 260 that enables a user toperceive images/video captured by the camera 230 and/or reports relatedto the monitoring system. Although FIG. 2 illustrates two user devicesfor brevity, actual implementations may include more (and, perhaps, manymore) or fewer user devices.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 240, 250communicate with and receive monitoring system data from the monitoringsystem control unit 210 using the communication link 238. For instance,the one or more user devices 240, 250 may communicate with themonitoring system control unit 210 using various local wirelessprotocols such as wifi, Bluetooth, zwave, zigbee, HomePlug (ethernetover powerline), or wired protocols such as Ethernet and USB, to connectthe one or more user devices 240, 250 to local security and automationequipment. The one or more user devices 240, 250 may connect locally tothe monitoring system and its sensors and other devices. The localconnection may improve the speed of status and control communicationsbecause communicating through the network 205 with a remote server(e.g., the monitoring application server 260) may be significantlyslower.

Although the one or more user devices 240, 250 are shown ascommunicating with the monitoring system control unit 210, the one ormore user devices 240, 250 may communicate directly with the sensors andother devices controlled by the monitoring system control unit 210. Insome implementations, the one or more user devices 240, 250 replace themonitoring system control unit 210 and perform the functions of themonitoring system control unit 210 for local monitoring and longrange/offsite communication.

In other implementations, the one or more user devices 240, 250 receivemonitoring system data captured by the monitoring system control unit210 through the network 205. The one or more user devices 240, 250 mayreceive the data from the monitoring system control unit 210 through thenetwork 205 or the monitoring application server 260 may relay datareceived from the monitoring system control unit 210 to the one or moreuser devices 240, 250 through the network 205. In this regard, themonitoring application server 260 may facilitate communication betweenthe one or more user devices 240, 250 and the monitoring system.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 240, 250 may beconfigured to switch whether the one or more user devices 240, 250communicate with the monitoring system control unit 210 directly (e.g.,through link 238) or through the monitoring application server 260(e.g., through network 205) based on a location of the one or more userdevices 240, 250. For instance, when the one or more user devices 240,250 are located close to the monitoring system control unit 210 and inrange to communicate directly with the monitoring system control unit210, the one or more user devices 240, 250 use direct communication.When the one or more user devices 240, 250 are located far from themonitoring system control unit 210 and not in range to communicatedirectly with the monitoring system control unit 210, the one or moreuser devices 240, 250 use communication through the monitoringapplication server 260.

Although the one or more user devices 240, 250 are shown as beingconnected to the network 205, in some implementations, the one or moreuser devices 240, 250 are not connected to the network 205. In theseimplementations, the one or more user devices 240, 250 communicatedirectly with one or more of the monitoring system components and nonetwork (e.g., Internet) connection or reliance on remote servers isneeded.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 240, 250 are usedin conjunction with only local sensors and/or local devices in a house.In these implementations, the system 200 only includes the one or moreuser devices 240, 250 and the sensors 220, the module 222, and thecamera 230. The one or more user devices 240, 250 receive data directlyfrom the sensors 220, the module 222, and the camera 230 and sends datadirectly to the sensors 220, the module 222, and the camera 230. The oneor more user devices 240, 250 provide the appropriateinterfaces/processing to provide visual surveillance and reporting.

In other implementations, the system 200 further includes network 205and the sensors 220, the module 222, and the camera 230 are configuredto communicate sensor and image/video data to the one or more userdevices 240, 250 over network 205 (e.g., the Internet, cellular network,etc.). In yet another implementation, the sensors 220, the module 222,and the camera 230 (or a component, such as a bridge/router) areintelligent enough to change the communication pathway from a directlocal pathway when the one or more user devices 240, 250 are in closephysical proximity to the sensors 220, the module 222, and the camera230 to a pathway over network 205 when the one or more user devices 240,250 are farther from the sensors 220, the module 222, and the camera230. In some examples, the system leverages GPS information from the oneor more user devices 240, 250 to determine whether the one or more userdevices 240, 250 are close enough to the sensors 220, the module 222,and the camera 230 to use the direct local pathway or whether the one ormore user devices 240, 250 are far enough from the sensors 220, themodule 222, and the camera 230 that the pathway over network 205 isrequired. In other examples, the system leverages status communications(e.g., pinging) between the one or more user devices 240, 250 and thesensors 220, the module 222, and the camera 230 to determine whethercommunication using the direct local pathway is possible. Ifcommunication using the direct local pathway is possible, the one ormore user devices 240, 250 communicate with the sensors 220, the module222, and the camera 230 using the direct local pathway. If communicationusing the direct local pathway is not possible, the one or more userdevices 240, 250 communicate with the sensors 220, the module 222, andthe camera 230 using the pathway over network 205.

The one or more third party devices 270, 280 are devices that mayestablish connections with the one or more user devices 240, 250 anddisplay user interfaces based on data (e.g., video or image data)received from the one or more user devices 240, 250. For instance, theone or more third party devices 270, 280 may include a mobile devicethat hosts one or more native applications. The one or more third partydevices 270, 280 may include a cellular phone or a non-cellular locallynetworked device with a display. The one or more third party devices270, 280 may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet PC, apersonal digital assistant (“PDA”), or any other portable deviceconfigured to communicate over a network and display information. Forexample, implementations may also include Blackberry-type devices (e.g.,as provided by Research in Motion), electronic organizers, iPhone-typedevices (e.g., as provided by Apple), iPod devices (e.g., as provided byApple) or other portable music players, other communication devices, andhandheld or portable electronic devices for gaming, communications,and/or data organization. The one or more third party devices 270, 280may perform functions unrelated to the monitoring system, such asplacing personal telephone calls, playing music, playing video,displaying pictures, browsing the Internet, maintaining an electroniccalendar, etc.

The one or more third party devices 270, 280 also may include ageneral-purpose computer (e.g., a desktop personal computer, aworkstation, or a laptop computer) that is configured to communicatewith the one or more user devices 240, 250 (e.g., over the network 205).The one or more third party devices 270, 280 may be configured todisplay a surveillance monitoring user interface 272, 282 that isgenerated by the one or more third party devices 270, 280, the one ormore user devices 240, 250, or the monitoring application server 260.For example, the one or more third party devices 270, 280 may beconfigured to display a user interface that enables a user to perceiveimages/video captured by the camera 230 and/or reports related to themonitoring system. In this example, the one or more third party devices270, 280 may receive the data included in the user interface from theone or more user devices 240, 250. Although FIG. 2 illustrates two thirdparty devices for brevity, actual implementations may include more (and,perhaps, many more) or fewer third devices.

The one or more third party devices 270, 280 may be operated by a thirdparty individual (such as a friend or relative) or a third party company(e.g., an alarm verification device of a central alarm monitoringstation that dispatches emergency services based on alarm eventsdetected by the monitoring system). The one or more third party devices270, 280 establish a sharing connection with the one or more userdevices 240, 250 to receive video, image, and/or other sensor data fromthe one or more user devices 240, 250. The sharing connection may beestablished over the network 205 or may be direct between the one ormore user devices 240, 250 and the one or more third party devices 270,280. The sharing connection enables the one or more user devices 240,250 to control the data that the one or more third party devices 270,280 receive. For instance, the one or more third party devices 270, 280only receive data provided by the one or more user devices 240, 250 anddo not have direct access to the monitoring system or the camera 230. Inaddition, the one or more third party devices 270, 280 may providecommands to control aspects of the monitoring system or the camera 230.Because the commands are received at the one or more user devices 240,250, the one or more user devices 240, 250 control whether or not thecommands are allowed and sent to the monitoring system. As such, the oneor more user devices 240, 250 control what data the one or more thirdparty devices 270, 280 receive and what actions the one or more thirdparty devices 270, 280 can take with respect to the monitoring system.This may allow users to retain privacy in the monitoring system and bemore likely to share limited access to the monitoring system informationto enable alarm verification, which may be desired by central alarmmonitoring stations that dispatch emergency services based on alarmevents detected by the monitoring system.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 240, 250 initiatethe sharing connection based on a user input command entered by a userafter reviewing video or image data from the camera 230. In theseimplementations, the one or more user devices 240, 250 may provide theone or more third party devices 270, 280 with information needed toestablish the sharing connection in response to the user input command.For instance, the information may include a link that opens a portalthat displays a shared image of a portal screen (e.g., a customerweb/mobile portal screen) that allows the user operating the user deviceto control what data/video/image is shared with the recipient operatingthe third party device. The information also may include credentials,such as a password, a machine token, etc. that the third party devicecan use to be authenticated to the user device. The credentials may betemporary or one-time access credentials to prevent the third partydevice from using the credentials to gain access to the monitoringsystem at a later date.

In some examples, the one or more user devices 240, 250 may provide theone or more third party devices 270, 280 with permission or credentialsto access the monitoring system directly or the monitoring applicationserver 260 for a limited time. In these examples, the user device mayprovide the third party device with a link that the third party devicecan use to log into an event portal on the monitoring application server260 that provides access to sensor status, live video, and saved clipsrelevant to the event. The material included in the event portal may becontrolled by the user (e.g., using the user device) and access may begranted for a limited period of time.

FIGS. 3, 5, and 7 illustrate example processes. The operations of theexample processes are described generally as being performed by thesystem 200. The operations of the example processes may be performed byone of the components of the system 200 (e.g., one of the one or moreuser devices 240, 250) or may be performed by any combination of thecomponents of the system 200. In some implementations, operations of theexample processes may be performed by one or more processors included inone or more electronic devices.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example process 300 for sharing image data. Thesystem 200 establishes a first connection between a first device and acamera located in a monitored property associated with a user of thefirst device (310). For example, the system 200 establishes a directconnection between the first device and the camera located in themonitored property associated with the user of the first device. In thisexample, the direct connection may be a connection where no intermediarydevice is present between the first device and the camera or may be aconnection where only devices that simply route electroniccommunications between the first device and the camera are situatedbetween the first device and the camera.

In some implementations, the system 200 establishes an indirectconnection between the first device and the camera located in themonitored property associated with the user of the first device. Inthese implementations, the direct connection may be a connection wherean intermediary device is present between the first device and thecamera and coordinates communication between the first device and thecamera. For instance, a security system panel or a monitoring server maybe situated between the first device and the camera and may coordinatecommunications between the first device and the camera.

The system 200 receives image data over the first connection (320). Forexample, the first device receives image data over the first connectionestablished between the first device and the camera. In this example,the image data may be a single still image captured by a camera or maybe video captured by the camera. The camera may send live video of themonitored property associated with the user of the first device over theestablished connection and the first device may receive live video sentover the established connection.

The system 200 determines to establish a second connection with a seconddevice that enables sharing of the received image data with the seconddevice (330). For instance, the system 200 may receive user inputindicating a desire of the user of the first device to share thereceived image data with the second device and determine to establishthe second connection with the second device based on the received userinput indicating the desire of the user of the first device to share thereceived image data with the second device. The user input may beselection of a share command button displayed by the first device in alist of possible sharing recipients.

In some examples, the system 200 may automatically, without user input,determine to share the received image data with the second device anddetermine to establish the second connection with the second devicebased on automatically, without user input, determining to share thereceived image data with the second device. In these examples, thesystem 200 may analyze the circumstances involved in the receipt ofimage data with respect to a set of rules and determine whether thereceived image data should be automatically shared based on theanalysis. For instance, the rules may indicate that the received imagedata should be automatically shared with all users associated with themonitored property when the security system has detected an alarm at themonitored property or may indicate that the received image data shouldbe automatically shared with a second user associated with the monitoredproperty when the security system has detected an event associated witha room used by the second user.

In some implementations, the system 200 may determine to establish asecond connection with a monitoring station device that is located at amonitoring station that monitors security system data from a securitysystem located at the monitored property associated with the user of thefirst device. In these implementations, the system 200 establishes thesecond connection between the first device and the monitoring stationdevice, shares, by the first device over the second connection, thereceived image data with the monitoring station device, and provides, bythe first device over the second connection, identification informationthat enables the monitoring station device to link the shared image datawith security system data received from the security system located atthe monitored property over a communication pathway that is differentthan the first connection and the second connection. For example, thesecurity system may send alarm data over a cellular communicationpathway to the monitoring station and the first device may establish aconnection with the monitoring station over an IP-based network. In thisexample, the first device shares the video from the camera with themonitoring station over the IP-based network and also provides anaccount number of the user to the monitoring station. The monitoringstation then matches the account number of the user with the alarm datareceived over the cellular communication pathway and links the receivedvideo with the received alarm data, which may assist an operator withassessing the alarm data without allowing the operator to view video ofthe property at other times.

In response to the determination, the system 200 establishes the secondconnection between the first device and the second device (340). Forinstance, the system 200 establishes a direct or an indirect connectionbetween the first device and the second device.

The system 200 shares the received image data with the second deviceover the second connection (350). For example, the first device sendsstill images or video to the second device over the second connection.In this example, still images or video of the monitored property may bedisplayed on the second device concurrently with display of the stillimages or video of the monitored property on the first device.

The system 200 restricts an ability of the second device to directlyaccess image data captured by the camera located in the monitoredproperty (360). For example, by only sharing the image data from thefirst device to the second device, the system 200 prevents the seconddevice from establishing a connection with the camera located in themonitored property. Specifically, the second device is only aware of thefirst device and the image data received from the first device and thesecond connection is established in a manner that prevents the seconddevice from perceiving and accessing the first connection with thecamera. In addition, the second connection is established in a mannerthat prevents the second device from perceiving identificationinformation for the camera that the second device could use to attemptto access the camera.

In some examples, the camera may be configured to only initiateconnections with other outside devices. In these examples, the seconddevice cannot directly connect to the camera because the camera refusesany connection requests made by the second device. In addition,passwords, machine tokens, or other authentication information may beneeded to establish a connection with the camera. Because the seconddevice does not have proper authentication information and cannot learnproper authentication information through the second connection with thefirst device, the second device is restricted from accessing the camera.By restricting the second device from accessing the camera, the system200 may maintain privacy of a user of the monitored property whileallowing the user to select certain times and certain people with whichto temporary share video of the monitored property.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of sharing image data. As shown, aproperty 405 includes a camera 415 that captures images of the property405. In response to an event detected at the property 405 or a userrequest to view video, the camera 415 establishes a direct connectionwith a mobile phone 420 of a mom user associated with the property 405.The mom user views video captured by the camera 415 on the mobile phone420 and determines to share video received over the direct connectionwith the camera 415 with a mobile phone 430 of a dad user and a mobilephone 440 of a neighbor user. As shown, the mobile phone 420 of the momuser shares video data captured by the camera 415 with the mobile phone430 of the dad user and the mobile phone 440 of the neighbor user.Accordingly, the dad user and the neighbor user can view the same videobeing perceived by the mom user on their respective mobile phoneswithout being able to directly access the camera 415. In this regard,the mom user is able to maintain privacy in video of the property 405,but also share video of the property 405 when the mom user wishes tohave assistance in assessing a potential alarm event at the property405.

In addition, in some examples, when the mobile phone 420 of the mom userestablishes connections with the mobile phone 430 of the dad user andthe mobile phone 440 of the neighbor user to share the video receivedfrom the camera 415, the mobile phone 420 of the mom user alsoautomatically, without additional user input, establishes a multi-userchat session between the mobile phone 420 of the mom user, the mobilephone 430 of the dad user, and the mobile phone 440 of the neighboruser. The multi-user chat session enables the mom user, the dad user,and the neighbor user to exchange text messages with one another thatare seen by all users sharing the live video. The multi-user chatsession may allow the mom user, the dad user, and the neighbor user todiscuss the video that they are all simultaneously perceiving and cometo a decision on how to handle the potential alarm situation. Themulti-user chat session may exchange text-based messages using anyappropriate protocol, such as an instant messaging protocol or a shortmessage service (SMS) protocol.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example process 500 for sharing image data withusers identified based on an attribute associated with the image data.The system 200 receives image data from a camera located in a monitoredproperty (510). For example, the system 200 receives image data over aconnection established between a device and the camera. In this example,the image data may be a single still image captured by the camera or maybe video captured by the camera. The camera may send live video of amonitored property.

The system 200 detects an attribute associated with the received imagedata (520). For instance, the system 200 may detect one or moreattributes of the camera that captured the image data, one or moreattributes associated with the circumstances in which the camera begancapturing and sending image data, and/or one or more attributes of theimage data itself. The system 200 may detect any combination of one ormore attributes associated with the received image data.

In detecting one or more attributes of the camera that captured theimage data, the system 200 may determine camera identification data forthe camera at the monitored property that captured the received imagedata. For instance, the system 200 may detect an identifier of thecamera from which the image data is being received.

In detecting one or more attributes associated with the circumstances inwhich the camera began capturing and sending image data, the system 200may detect sensor data, sensed by a security system at the monitoredproperty, that triggered the camera at the monitored property to capturethe received image data. For example, the system 200 may detect a motionsensor event, a door sensor event, and/or a window sensor event that wasdetected by the security system and triggered the camera to captureimages. In this example, the attribute may indicate which sensordetected the event and provide information of detected activity at themonitored property occurring while the camera is capturing the receivedimage data.

In detecting one or more attributes of the image data itself, the system200 may use facial recognition processes to identify and recognizepeople included in the captured image data. For instance, the system 200may detect whether any people are present in the image data and, if aperson is included in the image data, detect an identity of the personif possible.

The system 200 identifies one or more users with which to considersharing the image data based on the detected attribute (530). Forinstance, the system 200 may, based on the detected attribute, determinea subset of multiple users that are potential candidates for sharing theimage data and that are likely to be interested in the image data. Thesystem 200 may analyze any combination of one or more attributesassociated with the received image data in determining the subset ofmultiple users.

When the system 200 detects one or more attributes of the camera thatcaptured the image data, the system 200 may identify one or more usersbased on the one or more attributes of the camera that captured theimage data. For instance, the system 200 may identify one or more usersbased on camera identification data for the camera at the monitoredproperty that captured the received image data. In this instance, thesystem 200 may determine an area of the monitored property associatedwith the identified camera and identify one or more users associatedwith the area.

When the system 200 detects one or more attributes associated with thecircumstances in which the camera began capturing and sending imagedata, the system 200 may identify one or more users based on the one ormore attributes associated with the circumstances in which the camerabegan capturing and sending image data. For example, the system 200 mayidentify one or more users based on the sensor data that triggered thecamera at the monitored property to capture the received image data. Inthis example, the system 200 may determine an area of the monitoredproperty where activity has been detected and identify one or more usersassociated with the area.

When the system 200 detects one or more attributes of the image dataitself, the system 200 may identify one or more users based on the oneor more attributes of the image data itself. For instance, the system200 may identify at least one different user when a person is detectedwithin the image data as compared to when a person is not detectedwithin the image data. In addition, when the system 200 detects anidentity of a person, the system 200 may use the detected identity toselect a user that would be interested in seeing image data includingthe person. When the system 200 detects an unidentified person, thesystem 200 may identify a monitoring station operator or a firstresponder as a user with which to share the image data.

In some implementations, the system 200 may access data defining anetwork of multiple users that are connected to the user of the firstdevice and select, from the network of multiple users that are connectedto the user of the first device, a subset of users based on the detectedattribute. In these implementations, the network of multiple users maybe all of the users that live at the monitored property. The network ofmultiple users also may be members of a social network of the user ofthe first device or other users registered as potential candidates forsharing image data by the user of the first device.

The system 200 performs an operation directed to sharing the receivedimage data with the identified one or more users (540). For example, thesystem 200 may display, in a list, identification data for each of theidentified one or more users to enable the user of the first device toselect one or more users to share the received image data. In thisexample, the system 200 enables the user of the first device to quicklyinitiate sharing of the image data with a relatively small subset ofusers by presenting controls that enable the user to share the imagedata with any combination of the identified one or more users.

In some implementations, the system 200 automatically, without userinput, shares the received image data with each of the identified one ormore users. In these implementations, instead of waiting for the user ofthe first device to confirm that the image data should be shared, thesystem 200 automatically shares the image data such that the identifiedone or more users receive the image data as quickly as possible.

FIGS. 6A-6C illustrate examples of sharing image data with usersidentified based on an attribute associated with the image data. Asshown, a property 605 includes a first camera 610 located in adaughter's room, a second camera 620 located in a son's room, and athird camera 630 located in a dad's study. In the first example shown inFIG. 6A, an event in the property 605 causes the first camera 610 toestablish a connection with a mobile phone 640 of a mom user and beginsending video of the daughter's room to the mobile phone 640 of the momuser. The mobile phone 640 of the mom user includes a video display area641 that displays the live video captured by the first camera 610 on themobile phone 640. The mobile phone 640 also displays a list of virtualbuttons 642 and 643 that the mom user can activate to initiate sharingof the live video to one or more other devices. The mobile phone 640further displays a start button 645 and a stop button 646 that the momuser can activate to control recording of the live video on electronicstorage of the mobile phone 640.

In the example shown in FIG. 6A, the mobile phone 640 dynamicallyselects the list of virtual buttons 642 and 643 based on an attributeassociated with the video. For example, the attribute associated withthe video may be identification information for the first camera 610from which the video is being received. In this example, the mobilephone 640 may interpret the identification information for the firstcamera 610 and determine that the video is from the daughter's roombased on a stored mapping of camera identification information toinformation describing camera location or associated user. In anotherexample, the attribute associated with the video may be security systemdata captured by a security system at the property 605. In this example,the mobile phone 640 may receive security system data indicating thatthe event that triggered the first camera 610 to send video to themobile phone 640 was associated with the daughter's room. For instance,the attribute may be a motion detection event sensed by a motion sensorpositioned in the daughter's room or a combination of a first doorsensor event detected by a door sensor at the front door and a seconddoor sensor event detected by a door sensor at a door to the daughter'sroom. The mobile phone 640 may process the attributes of security systemdata and determine that the video is from the daughter's room ordetermine that the daughter would be interested in the video based onthe other security system events detected at the property 605.

After processing one or more attributes associated with the video anddetermining that the video is from the daughter's room or that thedaughter would be interested in the video, the mobile phone 640dynamically selects the list of virtual buttons 642 and 643. As shown,the list of virtual buttons 642 and 643 includes a first button 642 thatinitiates sharing of the live video received from the first camera 610with a dad user and a second button 643 that initiates sharing of thelive video received from the first camera 610 with a daughter user. Themobile phone 640 suggests the dad user for sharing the video because thedad user is another primary contact for the property 605 and the momuser may be interested in sharing the video with the dad user to informhim of the situation and receive his opinion on the video. The mobilephone 640 also suggests the daughter user for sharing the video becausethe mobile phone 640 has detected that the video may be of interest tothe daughter user based on one or more attributes associated with thevideo. The mom user may use the virtual buttons 642 and 643 to establisha connection and share the live video with any one or more the dad userand the daughter user.

In the second example shown in FIG. 6B, an event in the property 605causes the second camera 620 to establish a connection with a mobilephone 640 of a mom user and begin sending video of the son's room to themobile phone 640 of the mom user. In this example, the mobile phone 640dynamically selects the list of virtual buttons 642 and 644 based on anattribute associated with the video. For instance, the attributeassociated with the video may be identification information for thesecond camera 620 from which the video is being received. In thisexample, the mobile phone 640 may interpret the identificationinformation for the second camera 620 and determine that the video isfrom the son's room based on a stored mapping of camera identificationinformation to information describing camera location or associateduser. In another example, the attribute associated with the video may besecurity system data captured by a security system at the property 605.In this example, the mobile phone 640 may receive security system dataindicating that the event that triggered the second camera 620 to sendvideo to the mobile phone 640 was associated with the son's room. Forinstance, the attribute may be a motion detection event sensed by amotion sensor positioned in the son's room or a combination of a firstdoor sensor event detected by a door sensor at the front door and asecond door sensor event detected by a door sensor at a door to theson's room. The mobile phone 640 may process the attributes of securitysystem data and determine that the video is from the son's room ordetermine that the son would be interested in the video based on theother security system events detected at the property 605.

After processing one or more attributes associated with the video anddetermining that the video is from the son's room or that the son wouldbe interested in the video, the mobile phone 640 dynamically selects thelist of virtual buttons 642 and 644. As shown, the list of virtualbuttons 642 and 644 includes a first button 642 that initiates sharingof the live video received from the second camera 620 with a dad userand a second button 644 that initiates sharing of the live videoreceived from the second camera 620 with a son user. The mobile phone640 suggests the dad user for sharing the video because the dad user isanother primary contact for the property 605 and the mom user may beinterested in sharing the video with the dad user to inform him of thesituation and receive his opinion on the video. The mobile phone 640also suggests the son user for sharing the video because the mobilephone 640 has detected that the video may be of interest to the son userbased on one or more attributes associated with the video. The mom usermay use the virtual buttons 642 and 644 to establish a connection andshare the live video with any one or more the dad user and the son user.

In the third example shown in FIG. 6C, an event in the property 605causes the third camera 630 to establish a connection with a mobilephone 650 of a dad user and begin sending video of the dad's study tothe mobile phone 650 of the dad user. The mobile phone 650 of the daduser includes a video display area 651 that displays the live videocaptured by the third camera 630 on the mobile phone 650. The mobilephone 650 also displays a list of virtual buttons 652 that the dad usercan activate to initiate sharing of the live video to one or more otherdevices. The mobile phone 650 further displays a start button 655 and astop button 656 that the dad user can activate to control recording ofthe live video on electronic storage of the mobile phone 650.

In the example shown in FIG. 6C, the video is initially sent to themobile phone 650 of the dad user as opposed to the mobile phone 640 ofthe mom user. The selection of the initial contact for the video datamay be made based on an attribute associated with the video. Forinstance, in this example, the mobile phone 650 of the dad user may havebeen selected because the video is from the third camera 630 thatcaptures video of the dad's study or because the security system at theproperty 605 detected events related to the dad's study (e.g., a motionsensor in the dad's study detecting motion or a door sensor for a doorto the dad's study detecting a door opening event). In the otherexamples shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the mobile phone 640 of the mom userwas selected because the mom user was registered as the default primarycontact for video data or because the mom user was registered as theprimary contact for video related to the daughter's room and the son'sroom.

Further, the mobile phone 650 dynamically selects the list of virtualbuttons 652 based on an attribute associated with the video. Forexample, the attribute associated with the video may be identificationinformation for the third camera 630 from which the video is beingreceived. In this example, the mobile phone 650 may interpret theidentification information for the third camera 630 and determine thatthe video is from the dad's study based on a stored mapping of cameraidentification information to information describing camera location orassociated user. In another example, the attribute associated with thevideo may be security system data captured by a security system at theproperty 605. In this example, the mobile phone 650 may receive securitysystem data indicating that the event that triggered the third camera630 to send video to the mobile phone 650 was associated with the dad'sstudy. For instance, the attribute may be a motion detection eventsensed by a motion sensor positioned in the dad's study or a combinationof a first door sensor event detected by a door sensor at the front doorand a second door sensor event detected by a door sensor at a door tothe dad's study. The mobile phone 650 may process the attributes ofsecurity system data and determine that the video is from the dad'sstudy based on the other security system events detected at the property605.

After processing one or more attributes associated with the video anddetermining that the video is from the dad's study, the mobile phone 650dynamically selects the list of virtual buttons 652. As shown, the listincludes only a first button 652 that initiates sharing of the livevideo received from the third camera 630 with the mom user. The mobilephone 650 suggests the mom user for sharing the video because the momuser is another primary contact for the property 605 and the dad usermay be interested in sharing the video with the mom user to inform herof the situation and receive her opinion on the video. The mobile phone650 does not suggest the daughter user or the son user because thedaughter user or the son user are likely not interested in or are notpermitted to view video of the dad's study. The dad user may use thebuttons 652 to establish a connection and share the live video with themom user.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example process 700 for automatically sharingimage data. The system 200 detects that received image data has not beenacknowledged within a first period of time from receipt (710). Forinstance, the system 200 determines that, although the image data hasbeen received by a device, a user of the device has not acknowledged theimage data in anyway. Accordingly, the image data may not have beendisplayed on the device and the device has received no confirmation thatthe image data has been perceived. These situations may occur when thedevice is separate from the user of the device (e.g., a misplaced mobilephone), unperceived by the user of the device (e.g., a mobile phone in auser's pocket or bag), or out of an area in which the image data can beshared (e.g., a mobile phone on an airplane).

The system 200 provides an alert indicating that the received image datawill be automatically shared in a second period of time (720). Forinstance, the system 200 may provide an alert at the first device thatreceives the image data, may provide the alert through a security systemlocated at the monitored property, and may provide the alert to anothercommunication mechanism used by the user of the first device. The alertmay attempt to alert the user to the image data and may indicate thatthe image data will be automatically shared in a period of time.

The system 200 monitors for a response to the provided alert (730). Forexample, the system 200 monitors whether the image data is acknowledgedat the first device. In addition, the system 200 monitors for a responsecommunication to the alert (e.g., a response electronic mail messageindicating that the image data should not be shared).

The system 200 automatically shares the received image data when noresponse to the provided alert has been received within the secondperiod of time (740). For instance, the system 200 determines that,after the second period of time expires, the image data has not beenacknowledged and that a proper response communication has not beenreceived to stop automatic sharing of the image data. In response tothat determination, the system 200 automatically identifies contactinformation for a device with which to share the received image data andautomatically establishes a connection with the device using theidentified contact information. The system 200 then automatically sharesthe received image data over the established connection to provide thereceived image data to another user that may be able to assess thereceived image data while the user of the first device is unavailable.

FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate an example of automatically sharing image data.As shown, a property 805 includes a camera 815 that captures images ofthe property 805. In response to an event detected at the property 805(e.g., detection of an alarm event by a security system that monitorsthe property 805), the camera 815 establishes a direct connection with amobile phone 820 of a mom user associated with the property 805 andbegins sending video of the property 805 over the establishedconnection. However, in this example, the mobile phone 820 of the momuser is in a locked state and the mom user does not view the video onher mobile phone 820. Accordingly, the mobile phone 820 of the mom userdetects that live video has been received, but that the live video hasnot been acknowledged within a threshold period of time.

As shown in FIG. 8B, in response to detecting that live video has beenreceived and has not been acknowledged within a threshold period oftime, the mobile phone 820 of the mom user provides an alert indicatingthat the live video will be automatically shared with a mobile phone 830of a dad user in one minute. For instance, the mobile phone 820 mayprovide the alert at the mobile device 820 by displaying the alert on adisplay screen of the mobile phone 820, activating a vibration devicethat causes the mobile phone 820 to vibrate, and/or outputting anaudible alert using a speaker of the mobile phone 820. The mobile phone820 also may send the alert as an electronic communication to othercommunication devices used by the mom user. For example, the mobilephone 820 may send the alert in an electronic mail message to anelectronic mail address of the mom user, may send the alert in aninstant message to an instant message account of the mom user, may sendthe alert in an SMS message to another mobile device used by the momuser, and/or may place an automated telephone call to another telephonenumber used by the mom user. In some examples, the mobile phone 820further sends the alert to other users associated with the property 805and that are authorized to perceive the live video in the event that themom user is unavailable. In addition, the mobile phone 820 may send thealert to a security system associated with the property 805, so that thealert is output through the property 805 and a legitimate user in theproperty 805 can provide proper input to prevent the automatic sharingof the live video. Unless the live video is acknowledged on the mobilephone 820 or another control command is received by the mobile phone 820in response to the alert (e.g., a return message indicating that thevideo should not be shared), the mobile phone 820 determines toautomatically share the live video after the threshold period of timespecified in the alert (i.e., one minute in this example) has passed.

As shown in FIG. 8C, the mobile phone 820 determines to automaticallyshare the live video because the live video remains unacknowledged andanother control command was not received within the threshold period oftime specified in the alert. In this regard, the mobile phone 820identifies the mobile phone 830 of the dad user as being the appropriatedevice with which to share the live video. For instance, the dad usermay be registered as a secondary contact when the mom user isunavailable to handle alarm verification and the mobile phone 820accesses contact information for the mobile phone 830 of the dad user.Using the contact information for the mobile phone 830, the mobile phone820 of the mom user automatically, without user input, establishes aconnection with the mobile phone 830 of the dad user and begins sharingthe live video over the established connection. As shown, the mobilephone 830 of the dad user receives the shared video and beginsdisplaying the shared video such that the dad user can view video of theproperty 805 and perform alarm verification or otherwise handle an alarmevent at the property 805. In addition, because the mobile phone 830 ofthe dad user only receives video shared by the mobile phone 820 of themom user, the dad user is unable to directly access the camera 815 and,as such, is unable to view video of the property 805 in situations whereit is not shared by the mobile phone 820 of the mom user.

Although the example shown in FIGS. 8A-8C illustrates automatic sharingof video with a single user, the video may be automatically shared withmultiple users. In addition, when the mobile phone 820 detectsunacknowledged video, the mobile phone 820 may dynamically select one ormore users for automatic sharing of video based on the circumstances.The dynamic selection may consider security system data at the property805 and/or identification information for the camera 815 and theselection of one or more users with which to automatically share thevideo may leverage techniques described above with respect to FIGS. 5and 6.

Using the techniques described throughout this disclosure a user maycontrol access to video and/or image data captured by a camera in theuser's monitoring system (e.g., home alarm system). In someimplementations, the user may temporarily allow a third party, such as amonitoring station or the police, to view the video and/or image datafor purposes of alarm verification. In these implementations, when themonitoring system detects an alarm event, the user may be provided withan alert on the user's device and be able to view the video and/or imagedata from a remote location using the user's device. When the userperceives occurrence of an alarm situation in the video and/or imagedata, the user can share the video and/or image data with a deviceoperated by a monitoring station and/or the police to verify that analarm situation actually exists. Because monitoring stations oftenundergo a series of checks and delay periods prior to dispatchingemergency services in response to a detected alarm event, providing themonitoring station with access to the video and/or image data may allowfaster and more accurate alarm verification and, thus, faster responsefrom emergency services. In addition, because the user controls accessto the video and/or image data and the access by the monitoring stationis temporary, the user's privacy may remain protected.

In some implementations, video captured by a user's mobile device (e.g.,the user's mobile phone) may be used for alarm verification purposes.For instance, a mobile device may be equipped with a camera and may beconfigured to capture live video using the camera. The mobile devicealso may include a native surveillance application that allows livevideo being captured by the mobile device to be shared with other users(e.g., a central monitoring station operator, a first responder, afamily member, etc.) using techniques described throughout thisdisclosure. The shared live video may be used for alarm verificationpurposes in a similar manner as video or image data captured by asecurity system camera. For example, when the user is capturing livevideo with the mobile device of an alarm situation occurring in theuser's home (e.g., a fire, an intruder attempting to enter the home,etc.), the live video may be shared with one or more other users toverify the alarm situation. In this example, the live video captured bythe mobile device may be combined with video or image data captured by asecurity system camera to provide additional views of the user's homeand enhance alarm verification. In addition, location data (e.g., a GPSlocation) of the mobile device may be shared along with the video toenable another user (e.g., a central monitoring station operator, afirst responder, a family member, etc.) to verify the location at whichthe live video is being captured (e.g., verify that the user is actuallycapturing live video of his or her home).

In some situations, the user may use a mobile device to capture livevideo of an alarm situation occurring outside of a property monitored bythe user's security system (e.g., outside of the user's home). In thesesituations, the user may activate the native surveillance applicationand begin sharing live video of the alarm situation with another user(e.g., a central monitoring station operator, a first responder, afamily member, etc.). The native surveillance application also may sharelocation data (e.g., a GPS location) of the mobile device to enable theother user to determine the location where the alarm situation isoccurring. For example, the user may be involved a car accident and mayactivate the native surveillance application and begin sharing livevideo of the scene of the car accident with a central monitoring stationoperator. In this example, the central monitoring station operator mayperceive the live video and quickly dispatch proper emergency servicesto the location of the car accident identified by location data sharedby the mobile device. In another example, the user may be at aconvenience store where a robbery is in progress. In this example, theuser may discretely activate the native surveillance application andbegin sharing live video of the robbery with a central monitoringstation operator. The central monitoring station operator may perceivethe live video and quickly dispatch proper emergency services to thelocation of the robbery identified by location data shared by the mobiledevice. Accordingly, the mobile device equipped with the nativesurveillance application may extend a user's security system outside ofthe user's home. In this regard, the mobile device equipped with thenative surveillance application may provide a portable extension of theuser's security system that enables central monitoring stationassistance to be provided to the user even for alarm situationsoccurring outside of the user's home.

The described systems, methods, and techniques may be implemented indigital electronic circuitry, computer hardware, firmware, software, orin combinations of these elements. Apparatus implementing thesetechniques may include appropriate input and output devices, a computerprocessor, and a computer program product tangibly embodied in amachine-readable storage device for execution by a programmableprocessor. A process implementing these techniques may be performed by aprogrammable processor executing a program of instructions to performdesired functions by operating on input data and generating appropriateoutput. The techniques may be implemented in one or more computerprograms that are executable on a programmable system including at leastone programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructionsfrom, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system,at least one input device, and at least one output device. Each computerprogram may be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-orientedprogramming language, or in assembly or machine language if desired; andin any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language.Suitable processors include, by way of example, both general and specialpurpose microprocessors. Generally, a processor will receiveinstructions and data from a read-only memory and/or a random accessmemory. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer programinstructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory,including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such asErasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), and flash memory devices;magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks;magneto-optical disks; and Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM). Anyof the foregoing may be supplemented by, or incorporated in,specially-designed ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits).

It will be understood that various modifications may be made. Forexample, other useful implementations could be achieved if steps of thedisclosed techniques were performed in a different order and/or ifcomponents in the disclosed systems were combined in a different mannerand/or replaced or supplemented by other components. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, from a particularmonitoring system that (i) is managed by an electronic system, (ii) isassociated with a particular user, and (iii) includes one or morecomponents that sense attributes at a particular environment, dataindicating one or more attributes of the particular environment;detecting a particular attribute associated with the data; and inresponse to detecting the particular attribute associated with the data:evaluating the particular attribute against a set of rules that areassociated with the electronic system; selecting, based on theevaluation results and from among multiple other monitoring systems that(i) are managed by the electronic system, (ii) are associated withmultiple other users, and (iii) each include one or more components thatsense attributes external to the particular environment, a particularsubset of the multiple other monitoring systems; and changing a statusof each other monitoring system of the particular subset of the multipleother monitoring systems.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:in response to detecting the particular attribute associated with thedata: establishing a first connection between a mobile device and acamera of the particular monitoring system located in the particularenvironment being monitored, the mobile device being located outside ofthe monitored property; receiving, over the first connection from theparticular monitoring system and at the mobile device, the dataindicating the one or more attributes of the particular environment;identifying one or more users based on the detected attribute;performing an operating directed to sharing the received data with theidentified one or more users by: identifying a second device associatedwith at least one of the identified one or more users; determining, atthe mobile device, to establish a second connection with the seconddevice that enables sharing of the received data with the second device;in response to the determination to establish the second connection withthe second device that enables sharing of the received data with thesecond device, establishing the second connection between the mobiledevice and the second device; and sharing, by the mobile device over thesecond connection, the received data with the second device.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, wherein performing the operation directed to sharingthe received data with the identified one or more users comprisesdisplaying, in a list, identification data for each of the identifiedone or more users to enable the user of the mobile device to select oneor more users to share the received data.
 4. The method of claim 2,wherein performing the operation directed to sharing the received datawith the identified one or more users comprises: receiving, from theuser of the mobile device, an affirmative input to share the receiveddata; and sharing, by the mobile device over the second connection, thereceived data with the second device.
 5. The method of claim 2, whereinperforming the operation directed to sharing the received data with theidentified one or more users comprises automatically, without userinput, sharing the received video with each of the identified one ormore users.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying one or moreusers based on the detected attribute comprises accessing data defininga network of multiple users that are connected to the user of the mobiledevice and selecting, from the network of multiple users that areconnected to the user of the mobile device, a subset of users based onthe detected attribute.
 7. The method of claim 1: wherein the one ormore components of the particular monitoring system include a mobiledevice; and wherein the particular environment corresponds to a locationof the mobile device.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:receiving, from multiple other monitoring systems that (i) are managedby the electronic system, (ii) are associated with multiple other users,and (iii) each include one or more components that sense attributesexternal to the particular environment, second data indicating theattributes external to the particular environment; analyzing datareceived from the particular monitoring system irrespective of datareceived from the multiple other monitoring systems; in response todetermining that a particular event occurs at the particularenvironment: evaluating the particular event against a set of rules thatare associated with the particular monitoring system; and selecting,based on the evaluation results and from among the multiple othermonitoring systems, a particular subset of the multiple other monitoringsystems to serve as a cooperative monitoring network that assists withmonitoring of the particular event, based on the evaluation results andthe location of the mobile device.
 9. A system comprising: a monitoringsystem associated with a property; and a remote server configured toperform operations comprising: receiving, from the particular monitoringsystem that (i) is managed by an electronic system, (ii) is associatedwith a particular user, and (iii) includes one or more components thatsense attributes at a particular environment, data indicating one ormore attributes of the particular environment; detecting a particularattribute associated with the data; and in response to detecting theparticular attribute associated with the data: evaluating the particularattribute against a set of rules that are associated with the electronicsystem; selecting, based on the evaluation results and from amongmultiple other monitoring systems that (i) are managed by the electronicsystem, (ii) are associated with multiple other users, and (iii) eachinclude one or more components that sense attributes external to theparticular environment, a particular subset of the multiple othermonitoring systems; and changing a status of each other monitoringsystem of the particular subset of the multiple other monitoringsystems.
 10. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising:in response to detecting the particular attribute associated with thedata: establishing a first connection between a mobile device and acamera of the particular monitoring system located in the particularenvironment being monitored, the mobile device being located outside ofthe monitored property; receiving, over the first connection from theparticular monitoring system and at the mobile device, the dataindicating the one or more attributes of the particular environment;identifying one or more users based on the detected attribute;performing an operating directed to sharing the received data with theidentified one or more users by: identifying a second device associatedwith at least one of the identified one or more users; determining, atthe mobile device, to establish a second connection with the seconddevice that enables sharing of the received data with the second device;in response to the determination to establish the second connection withthe second device that enables sharing of the received data with thesecond device, establishing the second connection between the mobiledevice and the second device; and sharing, by the mobile device over thesecond connection, the received data with the second device.
 11. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein performing the operation directed to sharingthe received data with the identified one or more users comprisesdisplaying, in a list, identification data for each of the identifiedone or more users to enable the user of the mobile device to select oneor more users to share the received data.
 12. The system of claim 10,wherein performing the operation directed to sharing the received datawith the identified one or more users comprises: receiving, from theuser of the mobile device, an affirmative input to share the receiveddata; and sharing, by the mobile device over the second connection, thereceived data with the second device.
 13. The system of claim 10,wherein performing the operation directed to sharing the received datawith the identified one or more users comprises automatically, withoutuser input, sharing the received video with each of the identified oneor more users.
 14. The system of claim 10, wherein identifying one ormore users based on the detected attribute comprises accessing datadefining a network of multiple users that are connected to the user ofthe mobile device and selecting, from the network of multiple users thatare connected to the user of the mobile device, a subset of users basedon the detected attribute.
 15. The system of claim 9: wherein the one ormore components of the particular monitoring system include a mobiledevice; and wherein the particular environment corresponds to a locationof the mobile device.
 16. The system of claim 15, the operations furthercomprising: receiving, from multiple other monitoring systems that (i)are managed by the electronic system, (ii) are associated with multipleother users, and (iii) each include one or more components that senseattributes external to the particular environment, second dataindicating the attributes external to the particular environment;analyzing data received from the particular monitoring systemirrespective of data received from the multiple other monitoringsystems; in response to determining that a particular event occurs atthe particular environment: evaluating the particular event against aset of rules that are associated with the particular monitoring system;and selecting, based on the evaluation results and from among themultiple other monitoring systems, a particular subset of the multipleother monitoring systems to serve as a cooperative monitoring networkthat assists with monitoring of the particular event, based on theevaluation results and the location of the mobile device.
 17. At leastone non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded withexecutable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor,cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:receiving, from the particular monitoring system that (i) is managed byan electronic system, (ii) is associated with a particular user, and(iii) includes one or more components that sense attributes at aparticular environment, data indicating one or more attributes of theparticular environment; detecting a particular attribute associated withthe data; and in response to detecting the particular attributeassociated with the data: evaluating the particular attribute against aset of rules that are associated with the electronic system; selecting,based on the evaluation results and from among multiple other monitoringsystems that (i) are managed by the electronic system, (ii) areassociated with multiple other users, and (iii) each include one or morecomponents that sense attributes external to the particular environment,a particular subset of the multiple other monitoring systems; andchanging a status of each other monitoring system of the particularsubset of the multiple other monitoring systems.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operationsfurther comprise: in response to detecting the particular attributeassociated with the data: establishing a first connection between amobile device and a camera of the particular monitoring system locatedin the particular environment being monitored, the mobile device beinglocated outside of the monitored property; receiving, over the firstconnection from the particular monitoring system and at the mobiledevice, the data indicating the one or more attributes of the particularenvironment; identifying one or more users based on the detectedattribute; performing an operating directed to sharing the received datawith the identified one or more users by: identifying a second deviceassociated with at least one of the identified one or more users;determining, at the mobile device, to establish a second connection withthe second device that enables sharing of the received data with thesecond device; in response to the determination to establish the secondconnection with the second device that enables sharing of the receiveddata with the second device, establishing the second connection betweenthe mobile device and the second device; and sharing, by the mobiledevice over the second connection, the received data with the seconddevice.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim18, wherein performing the operation directed to sharing the receiveddata with the identified one or more users comprises displaying, in alist, identification data for each of the identified one or more usersto enable the user of the mobile device to select one or more users toshare the received data.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 18, wherein performing the operation directed tosharing the received data with the identified one or more userscomprises: receiving, from the user of the mobile device, an affirmativeinput to share the received data; and sharing, by the mobile device overthe second connection, the received data with the second device.